Cowles Stations Sign Rentrak Ratings Deal

Cowles Publishing Co. has signed a long-term TV measurement deal with Rentrak covering 11 stations.

The stations will get daily demographic and household ratings plus Rentrak’s advanced demographics covering the automotive category.

Rentrak competes with Nielsen and has signed up hundreds of stations for its service, which relies on set-top box information as well as other data.

“Having stable, accurate and reliable measurement is critical to our business,” said Cowles director of sales and programing Mike Dugger. “Rentrak gives us just that with reliable demographic ratings every day from thousands of homes in each of our subscribing markets. In addition, Rentrak’s automotive ratings will allow us to provide our local and national auto clients with incredibly powerful information, demonstrating how our audiences deliver auto owners and in-market buyers by make and model. Rentrak’s ratings will be part of our everyday conversations with our advertiser partners and will also help guide our news and programming decision-making."

The stations covered include KTMF-TV and KTMF2 in Missoula, Mont.; KULR-TV, Billings, Mont.; KWYB-TV and KWYB2, Butte-Bozeman, Mont.; KFBB-TV and KFBB2, Great Falls, Mont.; KHBB-TV and KHBB2, Helena, Mont.; and KNDO & KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities and Yakima, Wash.

Rentrak now serves all the TV markets in Montana.

“We are very excited to announce our partnership with Cowles Publishing and to welcome them to Rentrak’s family of clients,” said Steve Walsh, Rentrak’s executive VP of local television.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.